Summoning the world to be one

Chapter 664
Chapter 665: Puyang Gathers Soldiers
In the tenth year of Tiantong, on March [-]th, Deng Sheng appointed Xue Rengui, the general of the Dudu Mansion, as the Generalissimo of Zhao. Luoyang swore to the Northern Expedition.

In the tenth year of Tiantong, on March 23, in Puyang City, Dongjun County, 30 elite guards of Deng Guo Jinwu Guard, Shenxing Guard, Long Xiang Guard, Ling Snake Guard, Ying Yang Guard, and Tiger Wing Guard gathered here, led by Xue Rengui Command personally.

At the same time, Murong Ke also led an army of [-] Shencewei and Shenwuwei to attack Hanoi County.

In Puyang City, Deng Jun's camp and the Chinese Army's big tent, a group of Deng Jun's generals gathered around the map to discuss the strategy of marching.

"General, all generals, according to reports from the spies, Zhao Kuo personally led an army of 15 troops to go south to Liyang after learning of our army's dispatch, and now he has set up camp outside Liyang City." Xun You, the military advisor of Yingyang Guards, said to everyone.

Xue Rengui looked at the map. Liyang City is located on the bank of the Yellow River. It is the southernmost city in Wei County, and it is also the only way to attack Wei County from Dong County. Zhao Kuo led his army from Ye City to Liyang. The purpose is self-evident By the way, he wanted to keep the enemy out of the country.

"Hehe, this Zhao Kuo is really whimsical. At this moment, he still thinks about defending against the enemy outside the country. If it were me, I would have led all the troops to defend Yecheng long ago. The city of Yecheng is high and the pond is deep. It is abundant, with 15 troops in hand, it is no problem to defend it for a year or two. On the contrary, although Liyang is a fortress, the city is too small to accommodate 15 troops. Coming to Liyang seems to be a good move, but But he gave up his strengths and put himself in a disadvantageous position." Jin Wuwei General Deng Qiang said with a smile when he heard this.

"General, why should we have so many worries? It would be even better if Zhao Kuo dared to confront our army head-on. Zhao Kuo's army, then our army can easily take Yecheng." Long Xiangwei General Qin Lie said.

Xue Rengui shook his head when he heard the words, and said: "Don't be reckless, the Zhao army is not weak, and Zhao Kuo, the leader of the Zhao army, is said to be the son of Zhao Xin. After the general, he was appointed by Zhao Guo to replace Li Rubing to fight our army. Presumably there are also some advantages, and although our army is at an advantage now, our army still needs to cross the Yellow River, which is not good."

"The general is worried that Zhao Jun will attack our army while we are crossing the river?" Sun Wuji, the commander of the Spirit Snake Guard, asked.

Attacking him halfway through is a classic of military strategists. Anyone who is a general has heard of this allusion.

Xue Rengui shook his head and said: "Otherwise, this is not what I was worried about. Hitting it halfway is a classic of military strategists. I am not Long Qi, and Zhao Kuo is not Han Xin. I will not give Zhao Kuo this opportunity. Yes, if Zhao Kuo really thinks that he can defeat this general in this way, then it is too late for this general to be happy."

Attacking him halfway through is a well-known classic. Xue Rengui has experienced many battles, so how could he be defenseless?So if Zhao Kuo really has such an idea, Xue Rengui is not worried.

"Then I don't know what the general is worried about?" Changsun Wuji asked in confusion.

"Look here." Xue Rengui pointed out the location of Liyang City on the map, and said: "Liyang City is located on the bank of the Yellow River, only a few miles away from the Yellow River. In addition, Liyang City is small and can accommodate 15 Zhao troops. People are already very reluctant. If Zhao Jun chooses to fortify the area from Liyang City to the Yellow River layer by layer, how many places can our army settle in? In this way, although our army has twice the strength of Zhao Jun, but In Liyang City, it is Zhao Jun who has the superiority in strength."

Everyone saw that it was indeed the case. Zhao Jun had packed the area from Liyang City to the Yellow River area. Even if Deng Jun crossed the river, there might not be many soldiers and horses going ashore every time. So this is not for Zhao Jun to gradually eat away. chance?

"Then general, what should we do?" Shenxingwei General Ma Chao asked.

Xue Rengui said: "There is no need to do anything, just wait."

"Wait?" Everyone was very puzzled by this, so when will they have to wait.

Xue Rengui nodded.Said: "Yes, just wait, don't forget, this time the Northern Expedition is not only our army, Murong Cheqi also led a hundred thousand elites to attack Hanoi County at any time, although Zhao Kuo put all the soldiers and horses in Wei County, but he will never give up Hanoi County easily, so once the army of Murong Cheqi moves, Zhao Kuo must move, Zhao Kuo moves, we will move easily."

When everyone heard this, they suddenly realized, isn’t it? Murong Ke’s [-] troops attacked Hanoi County. Once Hanoi County was captured, they would either attack Huguan to the west or force Yecheng to the north. But Huguan is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. In addition, Shangdang County behind him has a hundred thousand Zhao troops. With Murong Ke's soldiers and horses, he can't get any benefit from attacking Huguan, so Murong Ke can only choose to go north to attack Yecheng. At this time, the main force of the Zhao army was in Liyang, and Yecheng was empty. Once Murong Ke's troops approached the city, taking Yecheng was as easy as picking up something. It is necessary to divide the troops. As long as Zhao Jun divides his troops, then Deng Jun's opportunity will come.

"As King Guiyang said, in fact, the best choice for the Zhao army is to stick to Yecheng. Zhao Kuo went south to Liyang. It seemed that he was defending against the enemy outside the country, but he exposed his rear defense to the front of our army. Zhao Kuo was born as a general, and his family is profound, so there's no reason why he can't see this?" Ling Jing, a military commander of the Jinwu Guard, asked very puzzled.

"I think there are two reasons why Zhao Kuo chose to go south to Liyang." At this time, Pang Tong, a division of the Tiger Wing Guard, said with a smile.

"Oh, Junshi Pang knows the reason, and would like to hear more about it!" Seeing that Pang Tong was full of confidence, with a look of seeing through everything, everyone asked quickly.

Pang Tong said: "First of all, Zhao Kuo really has the confidence to defeat our army in Liyang. After all, Zhao Kuo was born as a general, the son of Xin Zhao, and he is a star-like figure since he was a child. It is understandable that he is arrogant. Second, that is the pressure Li Rubing put on him."

"Li Rubing's pressure on him? Pang Junjun, Li Rubing is far away in Yuyang, how can he put pressure on Zhao Kuo?" Everyone was very puzzled, but Xue Rengui, who was on the main seat, was thoughtful and motioned Pang Tong to continue.

After Pang Tong understood, he continued: "Everyone is also clear that since the death of Zhao Xin, the military power of Zhao State has been in the hands of Li Rubing. For more than ten years, no one has been able to challenge Li Rubing's position. , Li Rubing led the army in battle, and he also returned in a big defeat, but no one has ever questioned his status as the No. 1 general of Zhao Guo. With a good record, most of the reasons why he is able to lead the Zhao army today are due to the residual prestige of his father, Xin Zhao. However, Xin Zhao has been dead for more than ten years after all, and the prestige left behind is very limited. If Zhao Kuo wants to To establish his own prestige and continue to be in charge of the military, then he must have a good record, even far better than Li Rubing's record."

"I understand what Pang Junshi said!" Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Li Rubing fought in the north and south all his life, and made great achievements in battle. The former Qin, the former Chu, and the Xianbei were all defeated by Li Rubing. Fighting against my Great Deng alone, Li Rubing has never won a victory. If Zhao Kuo wants to compare Li Rubing, the best way is to defeat our army. As long as we defeat our army, defeat an opponent that Li Rubing has never defeated, Zhao Kuo Kuo's prestige will naturally rise, then he can replace Li Rubing and become Zhao's No.1 general."

"Of course!" Pang Tong nodded, and said: "As far as I know, Zhao Kuo was 40 years old at the time, not a few years younger than Li Rubing, but he had never had any achievements, and suddenly he was in a high position. The appointment of the imperial court and the residual prestige of his father Zhao Xin, but there must be many people in the army who refuse to accept Zhao Kuo, so Zhao Kuo must make military exploits as soon as possible to deter the whole army, and I believe that when our army goes north, Jinyang Someone must have proposed to let Li Rubing lead the army south to resist our army. Although I don’t know why Li Rubing didn’t come in the end, this invisibly put a lot of pressure on Zhao Kuo. Come on, Zhao Kuo still has no chance to perform."

"The two military advisers summed it up very well!" At this time, Xue Rengui, who had been watching the play, said, "That's why I chose to wait. It should not be us who are anxious now, but Zhao Kuo. If we know what Zhao Jun is doing, then our army will be able to deal with it calmly."

"The general is wise!" Everyone praised.

In the tenth year of Tiantong, on the first day of April, it has been almost ten days since Deng Jun assembled in Puyang City, but there is no sign of crossing the Hebei River at all. This makes Zhao Kuo in Liyang City very anxious, especially now that Murong Ke is leading The army attacked Hanoi County, Hanoi County was insufficiently defended, Murong Ke's army progressed very smoothly, and easily took Heyang, Wenxian, Pinggao and other places, and the soldiers pointed directly at Huai County. According to Deng Jun's speed , It took less than a month to take down the entire Hanoi County, and then marched into Yecheng. Now many generals in the army are persuading Zhao Kuo to give up Li Yang and return to his division to defend Yecheng.

"Taiwei, Murong Ke has led an army to besiege Huai County. The defenders in Huai County may be captured by Murong Ke within three days. All parts of Hanoi County are in a hurry. Once Hanoi County falls, Murong Ke will attack Ye. The main force of our army is in Liyang, Yecheng is empty, Yecheng is our army's defense, money and food, once Yecheng is lost, our army is in danger, please return to Yecheng with the Taiwei." Zhao Jun of Liyang City In the camp, General Kou Hong of the Zhao Army spoke to Zhao Kuojin.

Kou Hong is the younger brother of Kou Fei, a famous general of the Zhao Kingdom. When Kou Fei died in battle near Surabaya, Li Rubing brought Kou Hong into the army to train him. Later, when Li Rubing was forced to leave Jinyang, Kou Hong did not leave with Li Rubing, but He chose to stay in Jinyang and act as Li Rubing's eyeliner in Jinyang. Ever since he came to Wei County, Kou Hong was very dissatisfied with Zhao Kuo, but for the sake of the overall situation, Kou Hong did not choose to confront Zhao Kuo, but Zhao Kuo Kou Hong really couldn't see the various mysterious operations.

Originally, Kou Hong suggested that Zhao Kuo stick to Yecheng, because whether it was Xue Rengui in Puyang or Murong Ke in Hanoi, their ultimate goal was Yecheng. The city wall of Yecheng blocked the Deng army. The city of Yecheng was high and deep, with plenty of money and food. With an army of 15, it would not be a problem to defend it for a year or two. However, Zhao Kuo refused to listen and led his army south to Liyang. Kou Hong also didn't care too much, and directly asked Zhao Kuo to return to Yecheng with his chariots and horses.

"General Kou, the Taiwei is the main general of the army. It is up to the Taiwei to decide whether to fight or retreat. Do you think the Taiwei is not clear about the current situation? Why do you need to do it for me?" Zhao Kuo has also won over since he became a Taiwei. A large number of generals faced Kou Hong, and without waiting for Zhao Kuo to speak, General Tian Zhen reprimanded him.

"You..." In Kou Hong's eyes, people like Tian Zhen are treacherous villains, but they are all Zhao Kuo's confidantes.

"Okay, stop arguing!" Seeing that Tian Zhen and Kou Hong were about to quarrel, Zhao Kuo said quickly: "General Kou, the current situation of our army, this Taiwei has his own opinion, you go to rectify it first." Soldiers and horses, just wait for the military order of the Taiwei to act."

"But Taiwei..." Kou Hong wanted to say something, but was immediately interrupted by Zhao Kuo.

"Okay, Captain Ben will let you out!" Zhao Kuo said with an emphasis.

Seeing this, Kou Hong knew that it would be meaningless to continue, so he turned his head and left.

Looking at the back of Kou Hong leaving, Zhao Kuo said dissatisfiedly: "This Kou Hong has become more and more presumptuous after relying on his loyalty."

Kou Hong was a general trained by Li Rubing, and his deceased brother Kou Fei was also Li Rubing's confidant general, so Zhao Kuo has always been on guard against him. He would not bring Kou Hongkai and Li Yang with him at all.

Sensing Zhao Kuo's dissatisfaction with Kou Hong, Tian Zhen immediately catered to him and said: "Taiwei, Kou Hong is a general trained by Li Rubing. He has always been dissatisfied with Taiwei's military power, so Taiwei doesn't need to care."

Zhao Kuo took a deep breath.Said: "Although this Kou Hong is really annoying, he is also right. The situation in Hanoi County is critical now. Once Hanoi County falls, Murong Ke will attack Yecheng. If this Taiwei continues to stay in Liyang, I am afraid that Murong Ke has cut off the way out, Tian Zhen, do you think this Taiwei should really return to Shiye City?"

Although Zhao Kuo really wanted to defeat Deng Jun and prove that he was stronger than Li Rubing, he was not a person who didn't know what to do. After all, he was born as a general and had been in the army for many years. He could see the simple situation clearly. He also knew that this time was actually the best The best choice was to return to Yecheng, but Zhao Kuo couldn't let go of this face. At the beginning, he resolutely insisted on leading the army to Liyang in spite of everyone's opposition. It's not that he has no chance, as long as he can defeat Xue Rengui in Puyang, Murong Ke is nothing to worry about, so Zhao Kuo still wants to gamble.

Although Tian Zhen on the side is not sure about his abilities, his ability to observe words and emotions is first-rate. Although Zhao Kuo said to return to Yecheng, Tian Zhen knew that Zhao Kuo was unwilling to go back.

So he took the opportunity to say: "Taiwei must not do it. Once the Taiwei returns to Yecheng, Xue Rengui from Puyang and Murong Ke from Hanoi can drive straight into Yecheng. I am afraid that the Taiwei will only be able to defend Yecheng at that time." Once the war goes wrong, someone in the court will definitely suggest that Li Rubing lead the army to go south. At that time, all the efforts of the Taiwei will make Li Rubing a wedding dress. The reason why Kou Hong and others proposed to return to Yecheng , just with this idea, with ulterior motives, if the Taiwei returns to Yecheng, it will just meet the intentions of Kou Hong and others."

"Humph!" Zhao Kuo was furious when he heard this. The name Li Rubing is the last thing he hears now. After the change, a large number of meritorious veterans such as Zhang Chuan and Sima Chong were purged and killed, and Li Rubing regarded him as a party of Zhang Chuan and Sima Chong, and was suppressed by Li Rubing. Maybe he would be killed by Li Rubing too. Although he survived in the end, he never made it to the top, and he has been in a daze for more than ten years.

Now that the Queen Mother Meng and Zongzheng Zhang Ying are in power, and Li Rubing is away from Yuyang, he is in charge of the military power. It is time to show his strength. As long as he can defeat Deng Jun, he can prove to the world that he is stronger than Li Rubing and that he is the best. It is not impossible for a person who is suitable to be in charge of military power to restore the status of his father Xin Zhao in the past.

"But if you don't return to Yecheng, how can you defeat Deng Jun?" Zhao Kuo asked.

When Tian Zhen heard the words, he knew that Zhao Kuo didn't want to go back to Yecheng anymore, but the most urgent thing now was to come up with a way to defeat Deng Jun, otherwise it would be pointless to stay in Liyang.

"I don't know if the Taiwei has ever heard the allusion of hitting him halfway?" Tian Zhen said after thinking about it.

Zhao Kuo nodded and said, "Of course I have heard about the story of King Wu of Qi Han Xin."
"The plan of the last general is similar to that of King Wu of Qi. Now everyone knows that the biggest loophole of our army is the city of Ye. If the Taiwei took the initiative to lead the army to evacuate Liyang and return to Yecheng, Xue Rengui would think that the Taiwei had a heart. Worrying about the safety of Ye City led to the hasty withdrawal of troops. After our army left Ye City, Deng Jun would cross the river. When Deng Jun was crossing the river, our army suddenly turned back their carbine and would definitely defeat Deng Jun," Tian Zhen said.

Hearing this, Zhao Kuo said without a fixed amount of moves: "Although this plan is good, but Xue Rengui is also a veteran general who has experienced many battles. Will he fall for it so easily?"

Tian Zhen said: "If the general of our army is Li Rubing at this time, Xue Rengui may not fall into the trap, but the reputation of the Taiwei has not been obvious for many years. Although the last general knows that the Taiwei is far better than Li Rubing, Xue Rengui does not know. Winning every battle has already become an arrogant soldier, and he will definitely despise the Taiwei in his heart, and in his eagerness for success, he will naturally fall into the trap."

Zhao Kuo was overjoyed when he heard the words, and said, "Okay, Tian Zhen, if you can defeat Deng Jun in this battle, you should be the first. After defeating Deng Jun, this Taiwei will personally ask for your credit in front of the Queen Mother."

"Xie Taiwei, it's all the cultivation of the Taiwei, the last general dare not take credit for it!" Tian Zhen said modestly.

(End of this chapter)